In one of the best comebacks by the Chicago White Sox this season, the 12-11 victory in favor of the Sox ended Friday with a walk-off home run by shortstop Tim Anderson.
The Detroit Tigers finished with 15 hits. The cure for the Tigers’ onslaught was a 21-hit attack by the Sox. Hits factored into a five-run sixth inning that reduced the Sox deficit to 10-9. The Sox trailed 9-2 and 10-4, the latter in the sixth inning.
The Sox scored twice to take an 11-10 lead and the Tigers tied the score with a run in the eighth inning only to see Anderson’s home-run heroes in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Anderson home run, with two outs was his first career walk-off home run.
• Nothing raises a batting average quicker than a hot night at the plate early in the season.
The Sox’ Jose Abreu was hitting less than .200 recently. Against the Tigers Friday evening, Abreu collected four hits and five RBIs. Just like that Abreu’s batting average hit a respectable .260.
Anderson had four hits against the Tigers highlighted by his game-winning home run to push his American League leading average to .402. Through Monday his lead was with a .375 average.
• Sunday it was Sox pitching told the story in the White Sox’s 4-1 victory over the Tigers.
White Sox starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez and three relievers struck out 20 Tigers to set a franchise record and tie the Major League Baseball record for combined pitchers.
• Through Sunday, Yoan Moncada of the Sox was hitting .324 with 20 RBIs. It was Moncada who was key to the 2016 trade that sent Sox’ pitching ace Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox.
For a time, the trade clearly favored the Red Sox. Sale was 17-8 and 12-4 in the past two seasons and played a key part in the Red Sox’ World Series championship last year. The young Moncada often struggled.
Sunday, Sale and the Red Sox lost, 5-2, to Tampa Bay. The defeat dropped Sale’s won-loss record to 0-5. Before May 1, Sale already had lost more games than he did in all of last season.